Collaboration in Action Research with Dr. Kayla Johnson

The Action Research Podcast

In this episode, our AR Pod team is thrilled to host Dr. Kayla Johnson, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, and the Program Chair of International Education at the University of Kentucky. We invited Dr. Johnson to talk about one of the trickiest topics in the field of Action Research, collaboration!

What is Collaboration in Action Research? It is hard to define the term, but our trio tries to uncover some of the characteristics of collaboration in this episode. Adam and Joe start the discussion by thinking through collaboration using two lenses—top-down and bottom-up (3:46). Kayla and Joe further elaborate on what bottom-up collaboration looks like in the field (6:52), highlighting six traits: communication, humility, patience, socially just power dynamics, making sure people's voices are heard, and identifying people's strengths and ways to contribute in equitable ways, by bringing insights from their projects in Peru (find links to their work below!).

Later in the episode, Adam and Joe ask some hard-hitting questions in our lightning round (19:02). Some of the topics discussed are communication in bottom-up collaboration, a sense of humility in the field, patience as an action researcher, and power dynamics in collaboration. Tune in to find out Kayla’s responses!

References

Johnson, K. M., & Levitan, J. (2021). Rural indigenous students in Peruvian Urban higher education: interweaving ecological systems of coloniality, community, barriers, and opportunities. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 1-22.

Johnson, K. M., & Levitan, J. (2021). Exploring the Identities and Experiences of Rural First-Generation Indigenous Students Using Photo-Cued Interviewing. SAGE Publications Ltd.

Levitan, J., & Johnson, K. M. (2020). Salir adelante: Collaboratively developing culturally grounded curriculum with marginalized communities. American Journal of Education, 126(2), 195-230.

Levitan, J., & Johnson, K. M. (2020). Collaboratively developing culturally-grounded curriculum to foster social justice American Journal of Education, Forum. http://www.ajeforum.com/aje-featurecollaboratively-developing-culturally-grounded-curriculum-to-foster-social-justice-by-joseph-levitan-and-kayla-m-johnson/

Johnson, K. M. (2020). Hotdog as metaphor: (Co)Developing stories of learning through photo-cued interviewing. Teachers College Record, 122(9), 1-38.

Johnson, K. M., & Levitan, J. (2020). Identity, culture, and iterative curriculum development: Collaborating with girls from Indigenous communities to improve education. International Journal of Student Voice, 7, 1-30.

Levitan, J. (2019). Ethical Relationship Building in Action Research: Getting out of Western Norms to Foster Equitable Collaboration. The Canadian Journal of Action Research, 20(1), 10-29.

Johnson, K. M. (2018). “Deliberate (Mis) Representations: A Case Study of Teacher Influence on Student Authenticity and Voice in Study Abroad Assessment. International Journal of Student Voice, 3(4), 1-58.

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